“...”

“Ahem, here’s your water. Honestly~” I handed him a bottle.

“Wow, so thoughtful!” he exclaimed with exaggerated flair.

“Teasing me, huh?” I snatched back the water I’d just given him. “No more for you.”

“Oh no! Dark Lord, Dark Lord, I’m sorry! Give me the water back!” he begged immediately, bowing his head.

“That’s better.” I shoved the bottle back at him. Watching him gulp it down gave me a strange thrill—probably the excitement after a successful prank. It was incredible; maybe because we were from the same hometown, we’d gotten so close in just a few days in this other world.

I watched the secretly watered-down fish soup boil over. Taking his used bowl, I served him another portion. The milky broth swirled with pale yellow fish chunks, incredibly tempting. My mouth watered, so I served myself a bowl too and started slurping. The mushrooms had infused the broth perfectly, making it unbelievably delicious.

“Drink up. I added water to it,” I urged.

He still eyed me suspiciously. Only after I’d taken several sips did he reluctantly pick up his bowl. “When did you add it? I didn’t see you.”

“Magic, dummy. If magic creates pure water, why use dirty river water?” I rolled my eyes at his ignorance again. “Can you tell me about the Four Knights and their orders?”

“Trying to bribe me with fish soup? No way.” He downed half the bowl in one gulp. I wondered if my bowl was too small.

“You’re overthinking it!” I shot him another disdainful look. “How can we leave safely without knowing them? Think—weren’t those who ambushed us earlier from the Four Knights’ orders?”

“Alright.” He paused briefly. “Do you know the four elements?”

“Air, earth, water, fire—the ancients believed they form all things. What about it?” I looked at him puzzled.

“The Holy Grail represents water, the Scepter fire, the Sword earth, and the Coin air—or life.” He took a deep breath. “The Holy Grail Knight is a water mage and Battle Aura user, dual-specialized. He’s the support type. His mount is a Sea Dragon Horse, a demi-beast that traverses water. The Scepter Knight has fierce fire-attribute Battle Aura. His mount, the Blazing Steed, is temperamental, and he excels in group battles. The Sword Knight embodies earth; his Battle Aura is solid and sharp—even a twig in his hand cuts metal. He’s deadly one-on-one. His mount, the Earth Steed, is immensely strong and fast. The Coin Knight’s mount is a Forest Steed. It’s magical—trees part for him, letting him gallop through forests...”

“Wait!” I cut him off. “Which knight’s group did we encounter?”

“Their main weapon was shields. Probably the Coin Knight’s order.”

“Do they all ride Forest Steeds?” I broke into a cold sweat. If so, my forest escape would be a joke.

“Forest Steeds are rare demi-beasts—only one exists. But the Coin Knight’s horses have some of its bloodline. They’re fast in forests, but not like on plains. Horses belong to grasslands. And no horse outruns flight. Though the Seven Knights’ mounts fly, they can’t react fast. Forests have poor visibility. If we fly, they’re exposed while we’re hidden—escaping’s easy. On foot, we’d be slower. They won’t catch us soon.” Lott said smugly. “So, relax.”

“Do they have special tracking? Like bloodhounds or scent-tracking?” I still felt uneasy, sensing it wouldn’t be easy.

“Well, that’s possible.” Lott’s words made my heart skip. “The Blazing Steed is a hybrid of a Three-Headed Blazing Hound and a stallion. It might retain canine scent-tracking.”

“A horse... and a dog...” I pondered, then asked timidly, “Um, wouldn’t there be reproductive isolation?”

“This world doesn’t have that concept. Beastkin and humans marry—their kids’ traits depend on luck, but keep some bloodline. Dark Lords and Heroes are separate species, yet can have human offspring—hey, stop looking at me with that eager face!” He panicked.

“I’m not!” I turned away, composing my expression. “I was just thinking...”

“Thinking what?”

“If you got thirsty and mounted a horse... would there be a demi-beast called a Hero Horse?” I shot him an excited look, already imagining wild scenarios.

“Stop that dangerous thought right now!” He tapped my head with his chopsticks.

I winced, clutching my head and crouching down, whimpering, “Waaah~ I kindly cooked for you, and you... you hit me... so heartbreaking. Sob, sob.”

“Don’t say ‘sob’ out loud!” he yelled.

“Didn’t you say no reproductive isolation?” I steered back to Hero Horse feasibility.

He nearly broke down. “Such a species gap couldn’t produce offspring—no, why discuss this morally bankrupt stuff? Who’d randomly mount a horse?”

“Then what do you want to mount?” I looked at him like trash. “Kittens? Puppies? Or—E. coli?”

“What the hell is the last one!”

“Hmm, so kittens and puppies are okay then?”

“I said stop those thoughts! Want me to break reproductive isolation right here? Practice proves everything!” He leaned toward me.

“Eeek~ Wanting to mount me~ so scary.” I clutched my skirt and held up a ground beetle as a shield.

He rolled his eyes. “Who’d want to mount you.”

“Tsk, so disappointing.” I sighed lightly, shaking my head. “I was hoping to experience it.”

“What?” He clearly didn’t catch my soft voice.

“Nothing~” I waved, denying it, then changed subject. “Since you know more, you decide—travel tonight?”

“Travel at night?” He hesitated. “Better not to.”